A brand new Inexpensive Connectivity Program (ACP) is in plance and Mainers can examine to see in the event that they qualify for the brand new program’s month-to-month reductions on web service.
The ACP, created by way of the Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act to be everlasting iteration of the Emergency Broadband Profit (EBB) program, offers economically susceptible households with a reduction on their month-to-month web payments. As well as, the ACP expands eligibility standards, will increase the buyer protections in this system, and is designed to serve an extended interval as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
“The pandemic uncovered how huge the digital divide is on this nation,” Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, stated. “Due to the Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act, which I proudly supported, Mainers struggling to afford web service may have entry to this very important help by way of the pandemic and past. For those who’re a Mainer who wants assist with the price of your month-to-month web invoice, I urge you to see should you qualify for this program.”
The brand new ACP offers:
• As much as a $30/month low cost on the month-to-month price of web service
• As much as a $75/month low cost for households on qualifying Tribal lands
• A one-time low cost of as much as $100 for a laptop computer, pill, or desktop laptop (with a co-payment of greater than $10 however lower than $50)
The ACP replaces the EBB, a $3.2 billion program that was created within the COVID reduction measures enacted in December 2020 to provide struggling households a reduction on their month-to-month web payments in the course of the pandemic. The Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act, which was signed into regulation in November, included $14.2 billion to create the ACP, increasing and increasing this system’s reduction.
Households already enrolled in EBB as of Dec. 31, 2021, had been capable of transition into the ACP starting on March 1, in the event that they proceed to satisfy eligibility standards for the brand new program. Eligible households not already enrolled within the EBB can enroll within the new ACP by contacting their web service supplier and asking to enroll, and so they can be taught extra — together with whether or not they qualify – by visiting https://www.fcc.gov/acp.
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